SHILLONG, OCT 7: The standoff between the legal fraternity and the Meghalaya government turned louder on Wednesday, as hundreds of lawyers from across the state marched in Shillong demanding the immediate removal of Advocate General Amit Kumar.
What started as a protest by the High Court and Shillong Bar Associations has now snowballed into a statewide stir, with delegations from district bars joining the rally.
Addressing the gathering, High Court Bar Association Secretary General Kishore Gautam said the government has left them with no option but to boycott courts and hit the streets.
“We have been agitating for a long time. The reason we are on the streets again is simple – assurances were given, assurances were broken,” Gautam said.
Gautam claimed Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had assured the Bar that Kumar would stay away from all courts and tribunals in the state, along with the contested panel lawyers, till October 7.”After our meeting with the Chief Minister, it was assured that Amit Kumar will not appear in the High Court or any court or tribunal in Meghalaya. But in the midst of that status quo, he started appearing in all courts,” Gautam said.
“I had even informed the CM on WhatsApp about his appearances, as he himself had shared his number and asked us to contact him directly,” he added.
Gautam alleged the AG has been brazenly defying the head of the state.
“He is appearing every single day, not only in the High Court but also in trial courts. It seems the assurance of the government, even the words of the Chief Minister, means nothing to him. That is why we took the drastic step of boycotting courts again,” he said.
Questioning why the government is protecting one individual, Gautam said, “We don’t understand why Amit Kumar is so important. We have met so many times, submitted so many representations, yet nothing concrete has happened.”
“The public is suffering, the legal fraternity is suffering, and the government is silent because of one person,” he said.
On the nature of the assurance, Gautam admitted it was verbal, but said, “It was not in writing, but when it comes from the CM, we thought his assurance means something. We are not common citizens, we are lawyers. We also got similar assurance from the Deputy Chief Minister earlier, but nothing transpired.”
He said the next phase of agitation will be decided collectively.
“We had this rally to show that all bar associations stand in unison for the common good of the legal fraternity. We will soon convene a meeting of the Executive Committees of all district and High Court Bar Associations to decide the next course of action,” Gautam said.
By Our Reporter
